Jefferson County CSCD

Probation - Making a Difference

The Jefferson County Community Supervision & Corrections Department (CSCD) serves the following county and district courts;

252nd District Court

279th District Court

317th District Court

County Court at Law #2

County Court at Law #3

Criminal District Court

Drug Impact Court

Judge's that preside over the courts listed above possess the authority to sentence adult offenders to a term of community supervision. The Jefferson County CSCD is responsible for supervising the offenders and monitoring their compliance with the conditions set forth by the court.

Civil Probation: Serving the district courts, the primary component of the Civil Probation Unit is the effective supervision of respondents and their ability to pay court ordered child support.

PSI: Serving the county and district courts, three basic functions exist in P.S.I.; preparation of P.S.I. reports required by the Courts for sentencing purposes, preparation of incarceration packets and serving as liaison between the Courts and the Probation Department.

Generally referenced as the Intake Unit, this unit also includes the Transfer Out division.

Intake: Processes cases that are received from the Felony or Misdemeanor courts in Jefferson County as well as probationers transferring into Jefferson County from other jurisdictions.

Transfer Out: Monitors offenders who have their probation cases transferred to other jurisdictions within the state and also outside of the state of Texas.

JCDI: out-patient drug and alcohol treatment in a Drug Court setting for clients who are addicted or abusing substances. Average length of stay in JCDI is one year.

DROP: a monitoring and education program that consists of random urinalysis testing and substance abuse assignments. Average length of the program is 4 – 6 months.

SAFPF: A long term treatment program for drug and alcohol addiction consisting of 6-12 months in a SAFPF Facility followed by approximately 90 days in a residential treatment center and finishing with up to nine months in a supportive out-patient program.

Pre-Trial Diversion: Clients are approved for this program by the District Attorney and usually consist of first time offenders. Clients must report to a supervising officer, abide by a set of probation rules including curfew, attend classes that address their needs and pay a program fee. Average length of stay in the pre-trial diversion program is one year.

The Intensive Supervision Probation unit encompasses several specialized programs that focus on risk and/or needs of an offender. They are as follows;

High/Medium Risk Caseloads: Offenders who are extremely high risk with histories of violent or assaultive offenses are assigned to these caseloads. Frequent contact is made with families, employers, and law enforcement and treatment agencies that address substance abuse and anger management. These offenders are directed into cognitive classes, job search, and GED testing to aid them in redirecting their behavior. Law enforcement is utilized in making “curfew checks” in the home. Officer’s are trained specifically to supervise this type of offender.

High/Medium Need Caseload: The intent of this caseload is to target offenders with high to medium needs such as food, clothing, and shelter by providing access to the available community resources. The caseload mainly consists of single parents or pregnant women who have unstable living arrangements and are in need of a valid ID/DL, social security card or General Equivalency Development (GED). Other offenders on this caseload are high school students or offenders with physical/mental disabilities. (Unemployment is not the target for this caseload).

Mental Health Initiative caseload: This caseload provides supervision to offenders who have a clinical diagnosis of a mental illness. Officers are trained specifically to supervise this type of offender. They also have a team approach with the local mental health professionals who are involved in their treatment plan. The Officer has frequent contact with the offender and the Forensic Case Management Team to assist with keeping the offender stable while in the community.

Intellectually Developmentally Delayed Caseload: Offenders on this caseload generally have an IQ of 70 or below and may have physical disabilities and/or substantial limitations to their self-care. They may suffer from a degenerative disorder such as dementia caused by a head injury or disease. Officers are trained specifically to supervise these offenders. They work closely with the local mental health professionals who are involved in their treatment plan. The Officer has frequent contact with the offender and the Service Provider to assist with keeping the offender stable while in the community.

Sex Offender Caseload - Registers offenders with the Department of Public Safety, corresponds with local law enforcement for sex offender registration purposes, works in close conjunction with law enforcement to ensure compliance with registration, collects DNA samples for the Department of Public Safety sex offender database, administers polygraphs, monitors computer and internet activities of sex offenders, monitors treatment plan to ensure compliance, attends quarterly case staffings with a local Psychologist who specializes in treatment of Sex Offenders and attends weekly meetings at the Garth House.

Community Service Restitution (CSR): All defendants on probation are required to perform community service restitution in accordance with the level of their offense. The Jefferson County CSCD employs staff members to coordinate the program and maintains contracts with over 75 non-profit and governmental agencies where defendants perform CSR work. The CSR staff also conducts special projects throughout the year to assist area food pantries and schools with supplies.

Felony/Misdemeanor Absconder Program: When defendants fail to report to their CSO and they are not seen in the field or in the office for more than 90 days, they are considered to have absconded supervision. It is still the responsibility of the department to maintain due diligence in attempting to locate that person. The staff member who is responsible for following up on the location of an offender is the Absconder Apprehension Officer. In an effort to ensure due diligence, the Officer investigates all areas, attempting to locate the defendant by executing record searches on available databases, phone registries, listed addresses and completing local field visits. The Officer works closely with law enforcement agencies both locally and in other counties/states to locate the offender.

Our satellite office is located in Port Arthur, serving offenders in the community of which they live and work. The location of the office increases the opportunity for compliance which may serve to reduce violations and/or recidivism. Our staff is motivated to provide the best quality service to meet the needs of offenders and the community that we serve. Staff is further dedicated to the revitalization project to improve South County At Large by referring offenders and other individuals to local employment training programs. The Port Arthur office is able to provide basic direct supervision to misdemeanor and felony offenders. For those offenders that have been identified as needing specialty services, including substance abuse and mental health needs, delivery of those services are provided here as well as Driving While Intoxicated and Texas Drug Education Classes.

The Jefferson County Women’s Center is a residential facility housing 60 female adult non-violent felony and misdemeanor offenders in lieu of incarceration in TDCJ. The Women’s Center program incorporates Evidence Based Practices and focuses on diversion from the institutional division. The program is designed to meet the traditional mission of protection of the community and rehabilitation of the offender and the additional mission of diversion from the institutional division while addressing the unique needs and risks of female offenders.

While in the Center, the ladies participate in a number of rehabilitative programs aimed at their diversion and successful reintegration into the community. Among the programs are substance abuse intervention, cognitive programming and pro-social problem solving to over come criminal thinking, community service, employment, education/GED, family dynamics, anger management, budgeting and other basic life skills that enable women to remain crime free. The Center uses progressive sanctions in dealing with behavior issues. The length of stay in the program is three to twenty-four months with an average of seven months.

Upon entry, each resident is assessed by a licensed professional counselor and a registered nurse. Those probationers with mental health needs receive services from Jefferson County MHMR. Probationers with substance abuse issues will either participate in the Jefferson County Drug Intervention Program or Right Choice Adult Outpatient Program. Eligibility criteria for entry in the Women’s Center are that the offender is an adult female, on felony or misdemeanor probation, not sentenced or placed on probation for a felony offense under Title 5 of the Penal Code, not caused serious bodily injury or death of another as result of the commission of the offense, not used a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense or flight from the offense and that the offender is employable.

Jefferson County Women’s Center not only serves Jefferson County, but 55 other jurisdictions in Texas. The Women’s Center offers Texas judges an alternative sentencing tool as recommended by the Judicial Advisory Council.

Felony/Misdemeanor Section, generally known as Unit A, located in the Beaumont office, supervision officers are charged with the day to day supervision of misdemeanor and felony offenders. Cases being supervised are primarily deemed low to medium risk offenders. Supervision Officers interview and appropriately assess the offenders’ risk to the community, develop supervision plans with specific objectives to attain, monitor compliance with court ordered conditions, and communicate with the specific Court as the need arises. Offenders are assisted in meeting those objectives with guidance, encouragement and referrals to other resource agencies as necessary, as a means for the offender to become a productive and law abiding citizen. Supervision Officers also have a duty to protect the community by keeping the Judge informed in a timely manner of any infractions or violations committed by the offender.